Grass feather grass (Stipa pennatal L.) is a genus of perennial plants from the grass family. In the world there are more than 300 species, in our country - more than 80. These plants are widespread in the temperate zone in both hemispheres. In this article, we will take a closer look at one representative of this genus, namely the feather grass.
This plant grows in Europe, Asia Minor, the Caucasus, Kazakhstan. In our country, feather grass was originally distributed only on the territory of the steppes or areas with rocky slopes. However, about 20 years ago, its seeds were brought to other regions of Russia, and now this plant can be found almost everywhere, mainly on roadsides, in glades and fields.
Feather grass (photo shows what this plant looks like) is a perennial grass that grows up to 1 m in height. Its characteristic feature is long narrow rough leaves and fluffy panicle nets extending from the grains that are in the ear. When the plant is still young and the seeds in it are notmature, the skeleton hairs are very soft. If you touch them, you immediately get the impression that you are stroking some fluffy animal. But everything changes after grains ripen at the feather grass. The edge of the ear becomes rigid, and it can get hurt. These hairs are needed in order for heavy seeds to spread through the air - so the plant can sow a large area.
Growing for ornamental purposes
Feather grass is a beautiful plant. When the wind blows, it sways and falls to the ground, forming silver-gray waves. It seems that the earth is covered with a silk veil. Although this is very conditional - for many, such a picture brings melancholy. Be that as it may, feather grass is a rare guest in gardens and parks. It's all about the hard hairs - they are very prickly, and therefore gardeners do not like to grow this plant. However, feather grass is still occasionally planted as an addition to other flowers and shrubs in order to make some kind of garden composition.
In other cases, it is classified as a weed, as it causes significant harm to farms. It is not suitable for livestock food, and if it is prepared along with hay, the animal may suffer - coarse hairs can damage its mouth or esophagus. Young livestock plants, on the other hand, eat very well.
Feather grass is listed in the Red Book of Russia. This is due to the fact that its traditional habitats - the steppes - are increasingly being plowed up for useful crops or given over for cattle grazing. And although in small quantities this speciesplants are quite common, real feather grass steppes are already considered a valuable relic.
Application
Feather grass is sometimes used in folk medicine. The chemical composition of this plant has not been studied, so it is not known what substances have an effect on the human body. However, herbalists and healers have for many years used a decoction of feather grass in milk to treat diseases of the thyroid gland and poultices from the leaves for paralysis. However, there is no evidence that such alternative methods will be effective or even safe.
